In order to reduce the weight of a (hunting) rifle, the gun barrel is often provided with so-called barrel flutings, which are grooves distributed around the circumference of the gun barrel and extending in the longitudinal direction of the gun barrel (see, e.g., DE 16299 C). As a result, despite the weight reduction, the desired rigidity and the minimum wall thickness of the gun barrel are achieved without negatively influencing the vibration behavior of the gun barrel when the shot is fired.
Such barrel flutings are currently milled in a material-removing manner in succession, individually or, at best, in pairs. The disadvantages thereof are the great amount of production work involved and the different surface roughnesses, which can also result in greater adhesion of contaminants.
According to DE 16299 C, the barrel flutings can be produced by means of a separate forging step rather than a separate milling step, although this also requires a great amount of work. According to FR 2 755 042 A1, it is known per se from the field of vehicle engineering to create longitudinal grooves or ribs in steering axles by means of forging hammers.